WHAT IS MALE PATTERN HAIR LOSS?
Male pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia, is a very common condition in which men begin to experience thinning of the hair on the scalp. These changes often start slowly in men in their 20’s and often progress to a receding hairline and/or balding on the top of the head. Male pattern baldness is believed to be hereditary and dependent on hormonal effects. The primary cause of Male Pattern hair loss and baldness is due to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is produced by 5-alpha reductase conversion of testosterone to DHT

WHAT IS AVODART & HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PROPECIA?

Avodart, (active ingredient Dutasteride) manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is the FIRST & ONLY dual acting 5 alpha reductase inhibitor blocking both Type I and Type II 5-alpha reductase enzymes that convert testosterone to DHT. Propecia, the oral drug approved by the FDA to treat male pattern baldness, only inhibits Type II 5 alpha reductase enzyme. Men with male pattern baldness have increased levels of the hormone DHT and the hair follicles in the balding areas of the scalp become miniaturized. Like Propecia, Avodart interrupts a key factor in the development of androgenetic or male pattern baldness but to an even greater extent. Avodart at a daily dosage of 0.5mg/ day has been shown to reduce serum levels of DHT by over 90%. Like finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, dutasteride or Avodart has initially been approved by the FDA for the treatment of prostatic enlargement Preliminary studies have shown Avodart to be as SAFE as Propecia but significantly more effective in decreasing DHT levels and treating Male Pattern Baldness.

WILL AVODART WORK FOR ME? WHAT ARE THE INDICATIONS?

Avodart has been shown in preliminary Phase 2 studies by GlaxoSmithKline to be effective than Propecia for Male Pattern Hair loss. In over 80% of Men with Male pattern baldness in the vertex and anterior mid-scalp area, clinical studies have shown that Propecia stops further hair loss and/or increases the number of scalp hairs resulting in significant hair re-growth filling in thin or balding areas of the scalp.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AVODART 0.5MG AND DUTASTERIDE 0.125MG/CC SOLUTION and DUTASTERIDE 0.125mg capsules?

Avodart 0.5mg, (active ingredient Dutasteride) manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is approved by the FDA for BPH (prostate). Avodart 0.5 mg is a more potent 5 alpha reductase inhibitor that Finasteride 5mg (Proscar) which is prescribed for BPH. The recommended dose of finasteride for Male Pattern Hair Loss is 1mg more commonly known as Propecia. Therefore using this model, although Avodart 0.5mg is FDA approved for BPH, one would only need 0.125mg daily of the active ingredient Dutasteride.
Dutasteride 0.125mg dose is available exclusively through MedsDirect Pharmacy and Medical Wellness Center. MedsDirect offers Dutasteride 0.125mg capsules for only $43 for a 30 day supply or Dutasteride suspension of 0.125mg/cc for only $35 for a 30 day supply. If you choose the Dutasteride 0.125mg capsules or the Dutasteride 0.125mg/cc suspension available exclusively through MedsDirect, you receive a FREE 30 day supply of Dutasteride suspension or #30 FREE capsules with your initial 90 day purchase. Dutasteride 0.125mg capsules or oral suspension is NOT a generic, it is the actual active ingredient Dutasteride supplied to MedsDirect from GlaxoSmithKline. There is NO difference between the 0.125mg Dutasteride capsules or oral suspension other than a personal preference if you would rather swallow one capsule a day or if you would like to take 1cc of a liquid oral suspension.

When deciding to treat MPH with Avodart-Dutasteride you can choose either

Avodart 0.5mg gel caps
or the lower dose Dutasteride 0.125mg capsules for $129.95
or Dutasteride 0.125mg suspension for only $105.95 for a 90 day supply available exclusively form MedsDirect.

HOW LONG BEFORE I SEE RESULTS?
Hair grows only about ½ inch per month, therefore patients start to notice results after first 3 months of treatment. It takes time to see improvement. Also, for those just starting to have hair thinning, taking Avodart in the early stages can prevent or dramatically slow further hair loss.

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE AVODART?
The underlying predisposition to baldness is always present. Therefore, if a patient discontinues use of Avodart, he will gradually lose the new hair that grew in response to Avodart treatment and will experience the progression of his underlying predisposition to baldness.

WHEN & HOW DO I TAKE AVODART?
Avodart is prescribed in 0.5mg soft gelatin capsules that you take once a day with or without food. Taking Avodart more frequently or in higher doses will NOT make it work better or faster. If you miss an Avodart dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember during the SAME day. However, if you don't remember until the next day, skip the dose you missed and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. DO NO take a double dose of the medication.
Avodart (dutasteride) is for use by MEN only
Take each dose with a full glass of water
Swallow the capsule whole. Do NOT chew or crush or break the capsule
Avodart can be taken with or without food
Always discuss any new medications with your primary care physician first before taking.
Do NOT combine Avodart with finasteride - Proscar or Propecia

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ABOUT AVODART?

Avodart is for MEN only
Avodart is a more potent and effective 5 alpha reductase inhibitor than Propecia. Although Avodart was approved in October 2002 by the FDA for treatment of prosthetic enlargement (BPH), Avodart has been shown to be more effective than Propecia in treating male hair loss and can be prescribed off-label for other indications than BPH.
Pregnant women or women who may become pregnant MUST NOT handle Avodart capsules as dutasteride can be absorbed via the skin and cause external genital abnormalities in the male fetus.
Do not donate blood for at least 6 months after your last dose of Avodart to prevent pregnant woman receiving dutasteride via blood transfusion.
Store Avodart at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Avodart gelatin capsules may become soft and leak or may stick together at high temperatures. If the capsules are cracked or leaking, do NOT use them and contact your pharmacist.
Avodart reduces the serum level of the Prostate cancer marker PSA by approximately 40% after 3 months of treatment and by 50% after 6 months of treatment. Therefore, if taking Avodart one must inform all treating physicians and adjustments need to be made in baseline measurements and interpretation of PSA levels for monitoring cancer-related changes. To interpret PSA testing for a man on Avodart treatment for 6 months or longer, one must double the PSA value for Prostate cancer detection.

WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF AVODART?

Avodart has shown a similar safety profile as Propecia and most men, as with Propecia, experience no side effects. A small percentage of men experience the following side effects most of which decrease or disappear with continued usage: impotence (4.7%), decreased libido (3%), breast tenderness and breast enlargement (0.5%) and ejaculation disorders (1.4%). These possible side effects disappeared in most men who continued to take Avodart and completely disappeared in men who stopped taking Avodart.
Stop taking Avodart and seek emergency medical attention if you experience an allergic reaction such as difficulty breathing, closing of the throat, swelling of the lips, tongue or face

WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE AVODART?
WHAT ARE THE CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR AVODART?

Avodart is for Men over age 18 only.
Do NOT take Avodart if you are a female or under age 18.
Do NOT take Avodart if you have LIVER disease as Avodart is metabolized by the liver.
Do NOT take Avodart if you are taking Protease inhibitors such as Agenerase (amprenavir), Crixivan (indinavir), Viracept(nelfinavir), Novir (ritonavir) or Invirase, Fortovase (saquinavir)
Do NOT take Avodart if you are taking oral Nizoral(ketaconazole) or Sporanox (itraconazole)
Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant must NOT touch Avodart capsules as dutasteride can be absorbed through the skin and cause harm to developing male fetus.

I've been on it (pro-scar) for about a month. I hadn't really noticed anything until this past weekend. Typically when I wear a hat and take it off the hair on the front of my head looks very Phil Collin's. It's not doing that now, it still looks thick now when I take off my hat.

I figured I'd be OK with the hair loss since it's inevitable in my family (men and women on both sides). My hair is much thinner than 5 years ago but I'm thinking that Bruce Willis pulls it off and I should be able to as well.

I don't think I'll be refilling my Pro-scar script when I'm done. I mostly started it because of other people's reaction to my hair loss. Up until then I didn't care.

personally i love my hair, im losing it what can i do , the thought of fucking up my sex drive for keeping my hair really isnt worth it, i tried hair loss meds over years but found i just really didnt like them or they fucked with me to much, so i just try to accept, got a skinhead.